Title
Title
Juvenile Law | 2021-22 Allocations for Dependency Counsel Program, Expected Unspent Program Funding, and Family First Prevention Services Act Funding (Action Required)
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Summary
Summary
The Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee recommends two redistributions of funding for court-appointed juvenile dependency counsel and allocation of new federal Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) augmentation funding for fiscal year (FY) 2021-22. Under the Juvenile Dependency Counsel Collections Program, courts collect reimbursements from parents and other responsible persons liable for the cost of dependency-related legal services to the extent that those persons are able to pay. The committee recommends that the Judicial Council allocate the FY 2020-21 statutorily restricted funds remitted in excess of dependency counsel program administrative costs to the trial courts, calculated according to the methodology adopted by the council. The committee also recommends that the council reallocate unspent dependency counsel funding from courts that have identified funds they do not intend to spend to courts funded at below the average statewide funding level. Finally, beginning FY 2021-22 and annually thereafter, the judicial branch will receive new FFPSA augmentation funding. The committee recommends that the council allocate these pass-through federal Title IV-E funds to those courts receiving unspent dependency counsel reallocation funds for 2021-22, contingent upon actual receipt of the funding.
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Recommendation
Recommendation
The Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee recommends that the Judicial Council, effective March 11, 2022:
1. Allocate FY 2020-21 Juvenile Dependency Counsel Collections Program funds of $1,144,748 (Attachment A);
2. Allocate FY 2021-22 trial court allocations of estimated unspent dependency counsel funding of $878,001 (Attachment B); and
3. Allocate FY 2021-22 Family First Prevention Services Act augmentation funding of $1,543,180 (Attachment B) contingent upon actual receipt of the funding.
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